Blast Furnace

is an independent literary publisher based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, still often referred to as the steel city.

Blast furnaces were utilized for smelting and refining industrial metals, generally iron, and were widely used in the creation of steel in the Pittsburgh/Western Pennsylvania region during the United States' 20th century industrial boom.

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Wednesday, February 15, 2017

In August 2013, Blast Furnace published an interview with children's book illustrator Michelle Henninger-Ainscough. Having received news of Michelle's passing on January 27, 2017, we are reposting the interview to honor and memorialize her, with deepest sympathies to her family, friends and the many lives she touched with her talent and vibrant spirit.

Blast Furnace met Michelle Henninger-Ainscough (then Michelle Henninger) way back in 1990 at State College, Pennsylvania, while she was a senior at the Pennsylvania State University (PSU). At that time, she may not have imagined that one day, she'd be sketching and painting artwork for inclusion in books for young children.Originally from Allenton, she's been a bit of a world traveler over the years, and even a little nomadic within the good ol' U S of A. Now an Arvada, Colorado resident along with her husband, two daughters, and dog, she's never lost the ability to make us smile, even when talking about overcoming some difficult life challenges.

We think this light-hearted interview and accompanying illustrations will make you smile, too. And inspire you.

It
was in 2009 that I decided to get serious about pursuing a career in
children's illustration. I joined the SCBWI, which is an amazing resource for
authors and illustrators interested in children's literature. At the
time I was living in [New Hampshire], and one of the largest regional SCBWI
Conferences was to be held in my town. While investigating the
upcoming conference, I learned about the Ann Barrow Illustrator
Scholarship opportunity. As an illustrator, one of the hardest
challenges is believing that you're good enough to be published. I
decided to jump on in with both feet and applied for the scholarship.
I was thrilled when I was told that I won. The award allowed me to
attend the following year's conference for free. But more than
anything it gave me the confidence I needed to pursue illustration as
a career.

You pursued the Russian language as an undergraduate major in college. What made you switch to illustration? Do you also pursue other artwork?

In fact, I had two majors in college, neither in illustration: Russian and Sociology. The road from college to the present is a pretty winding one. Initially, I had hoped with my Russian degree to get a job with the CIA, but unfortunately, when I graduated there was a governmental hiring freeze so there were no jobs to be had. Instead, I took a job which gave me the opportunity to live in England and work as an Advertising Director, which lead to another job in advertising here in the States (I really loved the creativity of advertising, and I was happy where I was). It was there that I met my wonderful husband. When we decided to start our family, I wanted to be able to stay at home with our children.

In 2007, I was diagnosed with Stage IIIA breast cancer, the same year my eldest daughter entered kindergarten. She was a shy little girl, and had to deal with a mom who had cancer, so to help her get through her day (and to help me get through my treatment), I would draw a little picture to put in her lunch box every day. It was then that I realized how much I enjoyed illustration.

That was the push I needed to get my act together, and not let the fear of rejection stop me from pursing a career in children's illustration.﻿

illustration: Michelle Henninger-Ainscough

What materials do you utilize?

I work traditionally: pencil, pen and watercolor. Although, I do use Photoshop to clean up my work.

Blast
Furnace read that you have conducted several workshops for elementary
aged children. Do you offer a variety of workshops? What do you get out of providing
the workshops?

Right
now, I only offer one workshop: "The Art of Illustrating: Make Your
Mark and Make a Splash," for elementary aged children. I
love sharing the joy of illustrating with children... giving them a
glimpse into a world they seldom see, the world behind the books and
children’s magazines they read. Too
often, creativity is lost during these early years. I hope to inspire
children to embrace their creative selves.﻿

illustration: Michelle Henninger-Ainscough

How did you initially go about getting your work/name out there?I found a great website called "Illustration Friday" that posts a weekly (Friday) challenge, and gives you one week to come up with your own unique interpretation of the prompt. It is a wonderful opportunity to get your work “out there,” and get feedback from others. It was through Illustration Friday that I found one of my first critique groups and really started to move forward in my art.

I also joined SCBWI. An amazing resource dealing entirely with the children's lit world. On a regular basis, I submitted illustrations to their magazine, The Bulletin. Another wonderful opportunity to have your work seen by others. I attended SCBWI conferences and workshops. I signed up for portfolio reviews by art directors. I joined a local critique group.

I sent out postcards. Often. Three or four times a year. To art directors and editors of publishing houses and magazines whose style seemed to match my work.

Rinse and repeat...for several years. And only then did I find my agent, Christina Tugeau, who was willing to give a new kid a chance. She has been amazing at getting my name and work in front of lots of people in the industry.

illustration: Michelle Henninger-Ainscough

What
was your reaction when you received news that your illustrations
would be featured in your first picture book,The First Easter Day(written by Jill Roman Lord and published by Candy Cane Press, an
imprint of Ideals Publishing), printed in February 2013? How do you
get matched up with an author?

I
was thrilled! My agent, Christina, took me on in 2012, and
shortly after I joined her team, she contacted me about this
wonderful opportunity! Illustrators and authors very rarely have any
contact during the book-making process, so I never actually
communicated with Jill Roman Lord directly. The art director and/or
the editors of the publishing house get in touch with an artist
agency to find an appropriate artist for their project. Once the
illustrator is approved, they work directly with the art director
throughout the process.

Your
website states that you are currently working on three books with
ABDO Publishing. What does a book project typically entail for you,
from beginning to end (planning phases to execution)?

Typically,
it starts with an email from my agent stating that XYZ Publisher is
interested in having me work on a series of books. If I'm interested,
and after the contracts are signed, I'll receive the manuscript.
Usually, there is art direction given such as where on the page they
need the illustration, and the size: full-page vs a spot
illustration, the number of illustrations required, color or black &
white, etc.

From
there, I begin the sketch phase. This is my favorite part of the
process. I love developing the characters, playing with expression,
gesture, and composition. Once I'm satisfied with the sketch, I'll
scan it into the computer and clean it up in Photoshop. I'll then
email it to the art director who either makes suggestions for
changes, or approves it.

Once
all the sketches are approved, it's time to paint. When I begin the
painting process, I do a few color studies, in order to find the
right colors for the illustration. Once satisfied, I'll complete the
painting. Then I'll scan them, color correct in Photoshop and send to
the art director for approvals. If approved, [high-resolution] scans are FTP'd [File Transfer Protocol]
to the publishing house, and they take care of the rest.

illustration: Michelle Henninger-Ainscough

Are
you a freelance illustrator, full-time illustrator, or do you do a
little of both?I'm
a freelance illustrator because my jobs come in sporadically. But I
do work at it full-time. Even when I don't have a current project for
a publisher or magazine, I'm always working. Whether it's new pieces
for my portfolio, or a book idea, I stay busy.

What
has been your most challenging/rewarding project? What lessons have
you learned over the course of deciding to begin doing illustration?I
think the most challenging and rewarding project is working on my
picture book dummy in which I'm both author and illustrator. It's
easy to push your own work aside and because of that, it requires
commitment and determination to keep moving forward. I
think the biggest challenge as an illustrator is developing a thick
skin and believing in yourself. It's a tough business. It's all very
subjective. And sometimes the feedback is pretty harsh, but you have
to be able to brush it off, take what you can from it, and move
forward.

illustration: Michelle Henninger-Ainscough

What
are your next big projects? Do you have a projected goal/dream that
you strive towards and would ultimately love to achieve?

I
do have another project that I will be starting in the next few
weeks, but I can't really say too much about it right now. I do hope
to one day get a picture book with a major trade publisher. I can't
wait for the day when my kids go to the school library with their
friends, and pull a book off the shelf which was illustrated by me!

What surprised you most about the illustration field/children’s publishing industry?

It's a surprisingly difficult field to break through in. It requires dedication and a really thick skin. Rejection hurts, but you need to pick yourself up and keep at it.

What is your inspiration for your illustrations? Who were/are your influences, if any?

It's cliché, but my kids and their friends inspire my illustrations. It's much easier to draw for children when you know what goes on in their heads.

As for influences, my absolute favorite illustrator is Matt Phelan. He's an amazing artist, and has a wonderful quietness to his work. And his lines are gorgeous. Just a subtle mark of the pen, and he can convey an amazing amount of emotion...

How
has the move to Colorado inspired your work? How did New Hampshire?Living
in New Hampshire is great for a children's illustrator. New England
has so many kidlit publishing houses, as well as conferences,
workshops all geared to this field. And it's remarkable how many
illustrators and authors live there. You really feel like you are
part of a community.The
environment is quite a bit different here in Denver, but I was able
to find my focus and continue to grow as an artist.What
advice might you have for artists/illustrators struggling to be
recognized?The
only way you'll get a job is if art directors and editors see your
work. Send out postcards three or four times a year. Keep your art in
front of them. Keep your name in front of them. Join SCBWI, attend
conferences, learn from your peers. And draw.

Monday, September 19, 2016

In Cuttings, Elizabeth Wurz renders nine haunting portraits of
survival that will keep you turning the page and returning to these arresting
narratives. “Our rituals are not private,” the daughter mourning an alcoholic,
abusive father divines in the collection’s opening poem. “I could not visualize
myself / in the roles of the women / I tried internalizing,” she declares in
its coda as she embraces the advent of motherhood and a life devoid of the
shame she has known in surreptitious coupling with women who refuse to be open
about their love. Come into Wurz’s world of unaffected wit and hard-earned
wisdom—particularly in the long masterwork “Where the Road Curves Away From the
Pond”—and let her break you open. Let her challenge you to stare into her stark
mirrors--& feel your own heart’s burden ease. – L. Lamar Wilson, contest judge and author of Sacrilegion
and Prime

"I participate in the
haunting,” writes Elizabeth Wurz in her long poem, “Where the Road Curves Away
From the Pond," with such grace, courage, and intelligence, that the poem
becomes an alternative to Patricia White’s argument in the close: “Love between
women is considered unspeakable; it doesn’t make a sound.” Wurz makes sound
like nobody else. She brings the house down even as her epigraph from Gaston
Bachelard attends it: “the sheltered being gives perceptible limits to his
[her] shelter.” In fact, this collection is a kind of trumpeting, a
conversation, an argument, voices in sweet contention, collisions in
vocabulary, some notes so high and long their necessary difficulty is part of
the narrative. – Ralph Burns,
author of Ghost Notes

Enter “the sanctuary of my
imagining” in Elizabeth Wurz’s collection, and you’ll find a narrative poetic
world of lesbian consciousness and queer family. These are tales of
working-class handcrafted survival, the Southern gothic, the queer economics of
love and resistance. In her chapbook, we see a culture emerge: the inner death
that accompanies hiding homoerotics, women lovers dancing together at the rural
hoe-down, and the power of a woman inseminating herself. When near the body of
her woman love,” My tongue enters my thinking,” Wurz writes, and this
collection of poems brings the interdependence of bodies and ideas into the
light." – Abe Louise Young, author of Heaven to Me and
Ammonite

Elizabeth Wurz is an Associate Professor of
English at the College of Coastal Georgia. Her poems have appeared in Rattle, The Report (o-dark-thirty), The GLR
Worldwide, Crazyhorse, The Southwest Review, and the GSU Review. Elizabeth’s creative non-fiction has been published by
Quarterly West and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. In 1998, she completed
her MFA in English (Creative Writing) at New York University and in 2007, she
received her PhD in English (Creative Writing) in 2007 from Georgia State
University. Her manuscript, Cuttings,
is the winner of Blast Furnace's
Second Annual Poetry Chapbook Prize (2015).